To think that trick or treating should be confined to your own street or friends/family

We had relatives for Halloween last year from another part of the UK and they couldn't believe how generous people were. Some houses don't do it which is absolutely fine but the ones that do really do. It's harmless fun - genuine harmless fun.

YABU - if you don't want to participate then don't put out a pumpkin

Its called guising in Scotland and isn't an American import at all. Try the other way around.

Just don't put deccs out of you don't want trick or treaters. If you only want a few turn lights out or leave an empty bowl outside when you're done. There's clear rules to trick or treating which most kids abide by.

My dc are too old now, but my estate used to be brilliant. Generous neighbours, amazing houses etc and we loved it, joined in, handed out loads and loads of sweets. This year hardly any houses are decorated, and I am sure it’s because we used to get so many kids from other places. It just stopped being fun.

It doesn’t bother me at all, I was never allowed to go trick or treating as a kid as my parents said it was for beggars. As an adult I like giving sweets out and seeing kids happy, I was always so sad I could never go and all my friends could. I give out full size packets of fruit pastilles as they are vegan and nut free and also give out glow sticks.

We only do our small village which has a lot of kids and a lot of houses take part. But my DD’s good friend also comes with us as their village has all the houses off a hugely busy road and isn’t as safe to walk around in the dark, so technically they are visiting our village. But they are 5 years old and go to the school in our village so I think that’s ok. I do think it is taking the piss to drive miles out of your own area for “better houses”.

We only take part early for a couple of hours. Once DD is home we take the pumpkins in as otherwise she wouldn’t go to bed. Her dad dishes out the sweets from ours while we go out.

Was "penny for the guy" not on Guy Fawkes night, instead of Halloween? That one-week period was crazy for kids!

Last year was insane here with children coming from the neighbouring streets, from the other side of the park etc, and a lot of older children too. It was fantastic actually, everyone was having a ball and the kids were running amok. Any house taking part can only give what they can give, we have a sign that goes up when we run out of sweets.

No need to overthink it into weirdness about kids getting sweets, it's not a new thing.

I find it sad that so many of our old traditions are dying out.
That so many people don't know it didn't originate in America, for one thing.
If I am at home, I answer the door to the kids in costume myself.

Tonight, I am going guising round some streets in a nearby city with the local pagan group, singing the traditional Souling song and then partying.
(We go to only the houses that have said they want to participate)
We have noticed that adults accompanying their children trick or treating have taken their cues from us and are also beginning to dress up. Smashing!

Trick or treating in its present form definitely originates from North America! In Scotland in the 70s and 80s we went "guising", where you dressed in a scary disguise, went round to neighbouring houses, would be invited in, and did some kind of act (sing/dance/tell jokes). The homeowners then tried to guess who you were. You might be invited to do ducking for apples, or that thing where you have to try to eat a scone dripping with treacle without getting it on your face. In return you got treats (apples, satsumas, maybe homemade toffee or tablet, sometimes shop-bought sweets) and maybe even some coins. By the very nature of it - going into people's houses, and them trying to guess who was behind the disguise, while really knowing all along - you only went to people you knew.

Lanterns were made by hollowing out turnips, and pumpkins were virtually unknown. I remember getting a Richard Scarry book when I was about 6, which had pumpkins in it, and I had no idea what they were.

I would bet that these are the types of customs which carried through from medieval Europe. Not the wholesale ladeling out of buckets of sweets and crisps to strangers.

It’s a big event where I live and lots of fun so I do enjoy it. I’m not doing it this year though, my teen is no longer interested and I’ve had a horrible few weeks so my heart isn’t in it tonight. I love the little ones knocking though and I might have a walk round my area this evening if it’s dry to see everybody else’s decs.

I remember it being called penny for the guy. I cannot recall one mention of trick or treat from my childhood. It was imported from America but probably has ancient uk roots.

I’m confused about all of you whose elderly neighbours hate it so much… now and as a kid the seniors didn’t decorate, just porch light on, but delighted to see everyone dressed up and have a little chat. It seems like in the UK maybe it’s more regional based on tradition but here in Canada it’s universal and also a good way for newcomers to start integrating. When I was a kid we also got boxes from unicef to wear around our necks collecting pennies.

Very few houses look like TV houses but it’s fun the week before driving around and looking at all the decorations. Then day of to go further for the bigger kids. Some university towns do a trick or treat for the foodbank so the big kids/young adults can go join in without getting candy.

We also don’t blindly trust the sweets - parents always inspect before the kids get them.

Caroling and New Year’s visitors aren’t a thing here so it’s an important community tradition. I think it also teaches kids about knocking on doors and manners. Obviously skipping your own neighbourhood to drive to the rich area just puts extra traffic on the road, but it isn’t end of the world either.

We used to do this when kids were littler….usually the roads close to where we lived and their friends.
a few years ago there was a local social media post asking where to go and someone not particularly near to us suggested our road.
within an hour or so we had people turning up with car loads of kids, had no idea idea who they were…the road was virtually grid locked.
to us and our neighbours it was like being mobbed by hoards of baying kids….most of who were rude or pushy. It was constant bell ringing every few minutes and we ran out of stuff within an hour…..never again.
as far as we’re concerned if you want your little darlings to be entertained on Halloween, make some bloody effort yourselves, get together with a few neighbours or friends and sort something. Sick of lazy parents expecting everyone else to do it for them!

I didn't grow up with it so probably don't really understand all the nuances, but I wouldn't let my children go out round other people's houses asking for sweets unless we were also giving out sweets at our house. Which is what we do. Just seems wrong to me to take without giving.

I love having so many kids visit. To me it feels like being part of the community. We buy a couple of tubs of sweets then when they run out, take the pumpkin in and turn the lights off.

What I object to if the amount of tacky, plastic decor everywhere. Just gross, too scary for little kids and terrible for the environment.

Children can understand he nuance of it being Halloween and not what you do the rest of the year. Just cos they're kids doesn't mean they're thick

I am in my early 60s and we did trick or treating when I was a child. We didn't call it that though. And we usually got money, not sweets!

I am 60. We dressed up (mask and a black sack which served as a witches dress or a cloak) and collected apples and nuts door to door when we were kids, we stayed local so it was more of a community thing. It does feel a bit much now with parents driving to places where the dc with get more stuff, most of which like likely get thrown out.

Why would it need to be just your own street?🤔 If people have a pumpkin/decorations then you can knock.

Nope, YABU. It's your opinion and it's up to you who you give treats to anyway.
Just don't give any to anyone you don't want to, instead of huffing and puffing about strangers daring to come to your door.

My kids are with their dad this weekend so im
not bothering, haven’t even bothered with any sweets and not putting a pumpkin out

Expecting to stick to friends and family is a bit U. How many people live that near friends and family, especially in a city. I think sticking to a street or block is fine, and you only call at houses where they've put out decorations so you know you're not bothering anyone who doesn't want it.